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Directions: Drive north on Highway 83 approximately 28 miles from Seeley Lake, or two miles south of Condon (mile marker 39). Turn east onto Rumble Creek Road. Follow the road four miles to the parking area, just past the Cooney Lookout. Elevation: 5,633 foot gain (9,356 total) Distance: Five miles to the peak Difficulty: Advanced Disclaimer: This trail is not a US Forest Service trail and some sections of the trail can change or become hazardous. The hike Holland Peak is truly a must hike for... Full story
PLACID LAKE - Dark wetsuits and orange spears floated above the water of Placid Lake July 25 as members of the Missoula-based spearfishing club joined forced with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the Clearwater Resource Council and the Placid Lake Cabin Owners Association in hopes to find and kill any northern pike hiding in the water. After five hours of searching, nobody was able to spot the invasive species. "Today went overall pretty good. We didn't find any pike," said Missoula-based...
BILLINGS, MONTANA - Though the 2020 track season never left the starting line due to COVID-19, Seeley-Swan High School senior Klaire Kovatch and her sophomore brother Klayton did not miss a beat during a statewide race July 19. Not only did they place in multiple events, Klaire now holds the farthest discus throw in the history of the Big Sky State Games. "Breaking the Big Sky State Games record made my first and last track meet of my junior year even more meaningful," now senior Klaire said....
MISSOULA - Missoula County Public Schools plans to bring back students for the Fall 2020 semester. In the July 14 board meeting, officials addressed what the district can do to keep students in the classroom without furthering the spread of COVID-19. Plans will be finalized in August before students return to school. “We are committed to some type of in-person learning,” said MCPS Superintendent Rob Watson. MCPS published guidelines for students to be back in classrooms based on Gov. Steve Bullock’s Safe and Healthy Schools in Montana plan,... Full story
MISSOULA - The Missoula City-County Health Department board voted unanimously to require facemasks in every indoor public space in the county at their July 9 meeting. They received over 4,000 comments from the public before the hearing, of which roughly half were processed. The processed comments showed 80% support for the initiative. The ruling goes into effect immediately and makes face masks the new normal as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the county and Montana. “Our cases are up and they continue to go up, our number of c...
Length: 7 miles (5.5 to Upper Holland, 1.5 to Sapphire) 14 miles roundtrip Elevation gain: 3,100 feet (2,100 to Upper Holland, 1,000 to Sapphire) Services: The trailhead is located near Holland Lake Lodge and has a large parking lot as well as a pit toilet. Lot is mainly used for the Holland Falls trail (416) Directions: Turn east off Highway 83 near mile marker 35 onto Holland Lake Road. Stay to the left at all road junctions. After passing the Day Use Area and Campground, the road comes to a... Full story
As Montana enters into July, the 2020 fire season is expected to put the state’s prevention and containment capabilities to the test. Not only is the current climate being compared to years like 2017 but officials are also working to present the spread of the coronavirus between firefighters and camps. “Fundamentally COVID is just another twist we go through when assessing our fires,” said Seeley Lake District Ranger Quinn Carver. “[The season] probably won’t be a lot different. You still don’t know where the fire will start and you don’t k...
As dusk approached Seeley Lake's Fourth of July, Tamaracks Resort owners Jessica and Jeff Kimmel waited patiently as the first ever fireworks show that they put on for the community was about to begin. "Right at 10:30 p.m. all the boats on the water started honking their horns and we armed the barge, punched in the code and hit go," said Jessica. "And 28 seconds later it went off." The display went off without a hitch. In past years the Seeley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the official...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Volunteer Fire Foundation pancake breakfast kicked off the Fourth of July activities in Seeley Lake. Even though they modified a few things to accommodate with the Health Department regulations surrounding the coronavirus, the community still had the opportunity to start their celebration with the traditional pancake breakfast. In the afternoon, Highway 83 was empty but a new boat parade was launched thanks to the organizational efforts of Tamaracks Resort. The...
MISSOULA - The Missoula City-County Health Department board voted unanimously to require facemasks in every indoor public space in the county at their July 9 meeting. They received over 4,000 comments from the public before the hearing, of which roughly half were processed. The processed comments showed 80% support for the initiative. The ruling goes into effect immediately and makes face masks the new normal as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the county and Montana. “Our cases are up and they continue to go up, our number of c... Full story
With an influx of visitors and coronavirus cases entering the Fourth of July weekend, the Missoula City-County Health Department asked event coordinators to be cautious on what is one of the busiest holidays in Seeley Lake. Though events are looking different than previous years, the county is excited with how the community of Seeley is handling the pandemic. “We have actually really good interactions with folks and they clearly care about doing the right thing with their community,” said Alisha Johnson, Health Department Public Inf... Full story
SEELEY LAKE - After decades of working for others, Lynda and Kevin Mickelson decided it was time for a change. The newly retired couple opened Trail Creek Merc on June 28, a one-stop-shop for gifts, in the Bison and Bear Center. "I think that our personal mission on this is to be doing something that we want to do and enjoy," said Kevin. The Mickelsons grew up together in Missoula and in the summer they spent time in the valley with family. They both graduated from Loyola Sacred Heart in 1979....
The Fourth of July is an excellent time to get outside with family and friends and recreate on the Lolo National Forest. With more people out recreating, the Seeley Lake Ranger District is asking people to do their part when it comes to wildfire prevention. “We are expecting another busy Fourth of July weekend on the Seeley Lake Ranger District,” said Quinn Carver, District Ranger. “We have had record numbers of visitors in our campgrounds this summer. As we head into another holiday weekend on the District, we are asking people to recre... Full story
SEELEY LAKE - A Seeley Lake resident’s dog was killed by a mountain lion early Wednesday, June 16 off of Spruce Street. The last mountain lion sighting in the area was reported almost a month prior, but Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Cougar and Bear Management Specialist Eli Hampson said they are quite common in the area. “There’s a lot of deer in town for food, and there is a healthy lion population in the area as well as deer and elk,” Hampson said. He added, “I can’t tell you how often the lions are going through town like that but I...
Distance: 4.3 miles (8.6 miles roundtrip) Difficulty: Moderate. Elevation gain: 1,368 feet Services: The trailhead has a relatively large parking lot with a pit toilet. No drinking water is available at the trailhead. The trail sees heavy use. Foot travel and horses are allowed. Directions: On Montana Highway 83, turn west onto Kraft Creek Road at mile marker 37 (just south of Condon). Follow Forest Service Road 561 for about 11.5 miles to the trailhead. The trailhead to Heart and Crescent Lake... Full story
OVANDO - A cycling T-shirt hung for the first time on the side of Kathy Schoendoerfer's store, the Blackfoot Angler. On a normal year, hundreds of bike-packers, racers and cycling tours would have already passed through Ovando. However, this year they are only a trickle. "It is not like they all spend a lot of money, especially in my shop, but they can pick up a T-shirt. It's just little things," said Schoendoerfer who manages the Ovando Improvement Fund. "They will visit the museum and make a...
As businesses and schools closed because of the coronavirus, Blackfoot Communications had to keep up with the new booming demand of people working from home, while Seeley-Swan High School also addressed a lack of computers for their students. Not only did Blackfoot increase broadband for people in the Seeley-Swan Valleys but they also connected students who did not have online access or a laptop at home. “We are still trying to dig out of loads of work. We only have so many technicians and we are doing our best,” said director of ope... Full story
SEELEY LAKE - Rain fell onto the blue and white umbrellas keeping the Johnson's Homegrown stand dry for the Sunday, June 21 Farmers Market. The stand was the only vendor at the market, a rare sight when last year the entire lot of the Seeley Lake Community Foundation would be filled by merchants and customers. "[The Missoula County's] regulations for farmers' markets were for produce only, so that is what we started with," said Carla Schade, Seeley Lake Community Foundation board member and...
SEELEY LAKE - Erika Wilson knew in the back of her mind there was no way Mission Bible Fellowship's Vacation Bible School summer camp would be able to happen this year. Instead, she opted to create a smaller, more personal camp in her own backyard. "Kids have a hard enough time keeping their hands to themselves, period," Wilson said. "I felt we have to do something different." Normally the church holds a vacation bible school in its normal building, which brings about 100 campers and...
SEELEY LAKE - Runners stretched, filled up their water bottles, and did practice laps to prepare for three different length versions of the Bad Bob race, put on by the Mountain Trail Series June 20. The 10, 25, and 50K launched from the Seeley Creek trailhead and sent trail runners from Morrell Creek over the top of Rice Ridge. "Today has gone by and everything seems smoother than normal," said race organizer Chris Stout. "The route is a little different but to be honest the race is pretty much...
SEELEY LAKE - Fishermen and women braved the weekend weather to finish out the annual Mr. Pike tournament June 13 and 14. Though less than 10 teams fished the event, it was still a celebration. "It is just about us friends coming out and having fun while trying to beat each other," said organizer DJ Harris. "Just another fishing trip." Harris, who with teammate LeeRoy Walz, finished first in the tournament with a total of 37.8 pounds including the largest fish of the tournament weighing 8.6...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School is upgrading its pipes over the summer after discovering a high concentration of lead back in 2017. The project, made possible by a $400,000 grant, will replace all the domestic water piping entering the high school. “It is huge first off from a safety standpoint,” said SSHS Principal Kellen Palmer. “Everyone who enters our building, whether that’s students, staff, or community guests, will have peace of mind knowing everyone can go drink out of the drinking fountain and not have to worry.” The new pipes...
With the unexpected arrival of a pandemic, thousands of Montanans are out of work. For many, it could be the first time navigating the government’s policy on unemployment or business support funding. The Pathfinder looked to answer questions raised by changes in state and federal unemployment benefits, as well as members of the community. The following questions and answers were researched through the Montana Department of Labor and Industry and The Missoula Job Office. Questions appear in bold followed by the answer. History of how unemploymen... Full story
SEELEY LAKE - DJ Benton, of Seeley Lake, rode towards Mount Morrel on his 47th birthday May 10 with a goal to match his miles traveled to years lived. While he watched the trees and mountains pass him by on his ride, he discovered a herd of elk. "It was fantastic. They weren't sure what to make of me," Benton said. "[Biking] makes me humble because you slow down. Me being a rookie cyclist, I am not fast anyway." The nurse practitioner recently got into cycling to stay in shape during the...
Don Larson has spent the last 22 winters fishing and cruising off the Central America coastline. Due to the coronavirus, both Larson and his partner Rosie Strope ended up staying out on the open waters a lot longer than expected. "This year we got down and got our boat ready to go, got out there and they closed all the borders," Larson said. "We were marooned for three months!" According to the news company Reuters, many Central and South American countries opted to close their borders as early...
